the principles and practices of certain Christian denominations that
maintain that the Second Advent of Christ is imminent. Also called
Second Adventist
. —
Adventist,
n.
,
adj.

Amyraldism

the doctrines and practices of a liberal form of Calvinism established
in France in the 17th century, especially its doctrines of universal
atonement and salvation for all.

Anglicanism

the adherence to the tenets and faith of the Anglican church.

Arminianism

the doctrines and teaching of Jacobus Arminiusth-century Dutch
theologian, who opposed the Calvinist doctrine of absolute
predestination and maintained the possibility of universal salvation.
Cf. Calvinism. —Arminian,
n., adj.

Brownism

the views and doctrines of Robert Browne, the first formulator of the
principles of Congregationalism. —
Brownist,
n.
—Brownistic,
adj.

Buchmanism

1.
the principles of the international movement called Moral Re-Armament
or the Oxford Group.

2.
the belief in or adherence to these principles. —
Buchmanite,
n., adj.

Calixtine

an Utraquist. See
Utraquism
.

Calvinism

1.
the doctrines of John Calvin or his followers, especially emphasis upon
predestination and limited atonement, the sovereignty of God, the
authority of the Scriptures and the irresistibility of grace.

the doctrines of a premillennial sect founded in the U.S. in the
mid-19th-century, especially its denial of Trinitarianism and its
acceptance of Unitarian and Adventist doctrines. —
Christadelphian,
n., adj.

cirplanology

the history and study of Methodist circuit plans.

commination

the list of divine threats against sinners, read in the Anglican Church
on Ash Wednesday. See also
96. CONFLICT
.

Congregationalism

1.
the doctrine and governmental practices of Congregational churches.

2.
a form of church government in which each congregation is autonomous.
—
Congregationalist,
n., adj.

consociationism

the theory or practice of associations or confederations of religious
societies, usually for purposes of fellowship. —
consociational,
adj.

Darbyism

the doctrines and practices of the Plymouth Brethren. —
Darbyite,
n.

denominationalism

1.
the policy or spirit of denominations or sects.

2.
the tendency to divide into denominations or sects. —
denominationalist,
n.

dissenterism

nonconformism, def. 2.

ecumenism

the doctrines and practices of the ecumenical movement, especially among
Protestant groups since the 1800s, aimed at developing worldwide
Christian unity and church union. Also
ecumenicalism, ecumenicism
.

the principles of the Free Church, which split off from the Presbyterian
Church in 1843. —
Freechurchman,
n.

fundamentalism

1.
a conservative movement in 20th-century American Protestantism in
reaction to modernism, asserting especially the inerrancy of the
Scriptures as a historical record and as a guide to faith and morals,
and emphasizing, as matters of true faith, belief in the virgin birth,
the sacrifice and death of Christ upon the cross, physical resurrection,
and the Second Coming.

2.
an adherence to the doctrines and practices of this movement.
—fundamentalist,
n., adj.

Genevanism

Calvinism.

Harmonist

a member of a Protestant sect from Württemberg, Germany that
settled in Harmony, Pennsylvania, in 1803, and believed in common
ownership of property.

Hopkinsianism

the doctrines of Dr. Samuel Hopkins, similar to those of Calvin except
that Hopkins rejected the concept of original sin. —
Hopkinsonian,
n.
,
adj.

Huguenotism

the doctrines and practices of the Calvinistic communion in France in
the 16th and 17th centuries. —
Huguenot,
n.
—Huguenotic,
adj.

Hussitism

the doctrines of a reformist and nationalistic movement initiated by
John Huss in Bohemia about 1402, especially its reflection of Wycliffite
emphases upon clerical purity, communion in both bread and wine for the
laity, and the supreme authority of the Scriptures. Also
Hussism
. —
Hussite,
n., adj.

Irvingite

a member of the religious group founded by Edward Irving, a Scots
minister who advocated strict observance of ritualistic practices.

Koreshanity

the doctrines and beliefs of an American communal religious society
founded in 1886, especially its goal of reforming both church and state
and their mutual relationship to God. —
Koreshan,
adj.

Labadist

an adherent of Jean de Labadie, a French mystic.

Laudianism

the policies and practices of William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury and
opponent of Puritanism, especially his assertion that the Church of
England preserves more fully than the Roman communion the
orthodoxy of the early Christian church, his support of the divine right
of kings and bishops, and his infiuence upon an architecture blending
Gothic and Renaissance motifs. —
Laudian,
n., adj.

liberalism

a movement in modern Protestantism that emphasizes freedom from
tradition and authority, the adjustment of religious beliefs to
scientific conceptions, and the spiritual and ethical content of
Christianity. —
liberalist,
n., adj.
—liberalistic,
adj.

Lollardism

1.
the religious teachings of John Wycliffeth-century English
theologian, religious reformer, and Bible translator.

2.
adherence to these teachings, especially in England and Scotland in the
14th and 15th centuries. Also called
Lollardry, Lollardy, Wycliffism
. —
Lollard,
n.
,
adj.

Lutheranism

1.
the religious doctrines and church polity of Martin Luther,
16th-century German theologian, author, and leader of the Protestant
Reformation.

2.
adherence to these doctrines or membership in the Lutheran Church.
—
Lutheran,
n., adj.

Methodism

1.
the religious teachings and church polity of John Wesleyth-century
English theologian and evangelist, or those of his followers.

2.
the doctrines, polity, beliefs, and rituals of the Methodist Church,
founded by Wesley, especially its emphasis on personal and social
morality. Also called
Wesleyanism
. —
Methodist,
n.
,
adj.

Mormonism

1.
the doctrines and polity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, founded in the U.S. in 1830 by Joseph Smith, especially its
adoption of the
Book of Mormon
as an adjunct to the Bible.

2.
adherence to these doctrines or membership in the Mormon Church. Also
Mormondom
. —
Mormon,
n.
,
adj.

neoorthodoxy

a modern theological movement within the Protestant church, reaffirming
some of the doctrines of the Reformation in reaction against recent
liberal theology and practice. —
neoorthodox,
adj.

nonconformism

1.
the state or practice of nonadherence to an established church or its
doctrine, discipline, or polity.

2.
(cap.)
the condition of a Protestant in England who is not a member of the
Church of England; dissenterism. —
nonconformist,
n.
,
adj.

nonjurorism

1.
the practice of refusing to take a required oath, as of allegiance.

2.
(cap.)
the action of Church of England clergymen who refused, in 1689, to
swear allegiance to William and Mary. —
nonjuror,
n.

Orangeism

the principles of the Orangemen, members of a secret 17th-century Irish
society that defended the reigning British monarch and supported the
Anglican church.

Pajonism

a theological doctrine proposed by the 17th-century French theologian
Claude Pajon, especially its emphasis upon the indirect rather than
direct influence of the Holy Spirit upon an individual.

parsonarchy

the domination of a social group, especially a small rural community, by
the parson.

Pentecostalism

the beliefs and practices of certain Christian groups, often
fundamentalist, that emphasize the activity of the Holy Spirit, stress a
strict morality, and seek emotional spiritual experiences in worship
rituals. —
Pentecostal,
n., adj.

Philippism

Rare.
the doctrines of Philip Melanchthonth-century German Protestant
reformer, especially his rebuttals to the allegations of the Flacians
that his attitude toward certain teachings of Martin Luther was
adiaphoristic. —
Philippist,
n.
—Philippistic,
adj.

Pietism

1.
a movement, begun in the 17th-century German Lutheran Church, exalting
the practice of personal piety over religious orthodoxy and ritual.

2.
the principles and practices of the Pietists. Also called
Spenerism. —Piëtist,
n.
—Pietistic, Pietistical,
adj.

Presbyterianism

1.
the doctrines, polity, and practices of Presbyterian churches,
especially a Calvinist theology and a representative system of church
government.

2.
a system of church government in which ministers and congregationally
elected elders participate in a graded series of legislative bodies and
administrative courts. —
Presbyterian,
n., adj.

Primitive Methodism

the practices of the Primitive Methodist Church whose doctrines
emphasize Wesleyanism and greater congregational participation in its
government. —
Primitive Methodist,
n.

Puritanism

1.
the principles and practices of a movement within 16th-century
Anglicanism, demanding reforms in doctrine, polity, and worship, and
greater strictness in religious discipline, chiefly in terms of
Calvinist principles.

2.
a political party developed from the religious movement in the 17th
century that successfully gained control of England through revolution
and briefly attempted to put Puritan principles to work on all levels of
English life and government.

3.
U.S. History.
the principles and practices of the Congregationalist members of the
religious movement who, having migrated to America in 1620, attempted to
set up a theocratic state in which clergy had authority over both
religious and civil life. —
Puritan,
n., adj.

the principles and beliefs of the Society of Friends, a creedless sect
founded in England about 1650 by George Fox, especially its emphasis
upon the Inward Light of each believer, its rejection of oaths, and its
opposition to all wars. Also
Quakerdom, Quakery
. (Terms made from
quake
are never used to or between members of the Society, who prefer
Friend
or
thee.)
—
Quaker,
n., adj.

Reformation

the 16th-century religious movement in Europe that resulted in the
formation of Protestantism. —
Reformational,
adj.

restorationism

the belief in a temporary future punishment and a final restoration of
all sinners to the favor of God. Also called
restitutionism. —restorationist,
n.

reunionism

advocacy of the reunion of the Anglican and Catholic churches. —
reunionist,
n.
—reunionistic,
adj.

revivalism

that form of religious activity that manifests itself in evangelistic
services for the purpose of effecting a religious awakening. —
revivalist,
n.
—revivalistic,
adj.

Russellites

the former name of the sect called Jehovah’s Witnesses.

salvationism

1.
any religious teachings in which are emphasized doctrines concerning
the saving of the soul.

2.
the doctrines of the saving of the soul.

3.
evangelism, especially that calling for individuals to make open and
public conversions. —
salvationist,
n.
—salvational,
adj.

Second Adventist

Adventism.

sectarianism

the spirit or tendencies of sectarians, especially adherence or
excessive devotion to a particular sect, especially in religion.
—
sectarian,
n., adj.

Shakerism

the principles, beliefs, and practices of a millennial sect called the
United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Coming,
originating in England in the Shaking Quakers sect and brought to the
U.S. in 1774 by Mother Ann Lee, especially an emphasis on communal and
celibate living, on the dual nature of Christ as male and female, on
their dances and songs as part of worship, and their honest, functional
craftsmanship. —
Shaker,
n., adj.

Spenerism

Pietism, after Philipp Jakob Spener, German theologian.

Stundism

the doctrines and practices of a Russian Protestant denomination founded
about 1860, especially their emphasis upon evangelism, piety, and
communal Bible study and prayer. —
Stundist,
n.

Swedenborgianism, Swedenborgism

the doctrines, beliefs, and practices of the Church of the New
Jerusalem, founded by the followers of Emmanuel Swedenborg in the late
18th century, especially its assertion that Christ is God Himself and
not the Son of God, and its reliance upon accounts of mystical
appearances of Christ to Swedenborg. —
Swedenborgian,
n., adj.

syncretism

the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing
principles, practices, parties, or denominations, as in the late 19th-
and 20th-century discussions between Anglo-Catholics and Roman
authorities. —
syncretic, syncretical, syncretistic, syncretistical,
adj.

Tractarianism

the religious opinions and principles of the Oxford movement within
Anglicanism, especially in its
Tractsfor the Times,
a series of ninety treatises published between 1833 and 1841. Also
called
Puseyism. —Tractarian,
n., adj.

Ubiquitism

the doctrine that the body of Christ is present everywhere, held by some
Lutherans and others. —
Ubiquitarian, Ubiquarian, Ubiquitary, Ubiquist, Ubiquitist,
n., adj.

Unitarianism

the beliefs, principles, and practices of the Unitarian denomination,
especially its doctrine that God is one being, and its emphasis upon
autonomous congregational government. —
Unitarian,
n.
,
adj.

Universalism

1.
the theological doctrine that all men will finally be saved or brought
back to holiness and God.

the doctrines and practices of the Calixtins, a Hussite group demanding
communion in both wafer and wine. —
Utraquist,
n.
—Utraquistic,
adj.

Wesleyanism, Wesleyism

Methodism. —
Wesleyan,
n.
,
adj.

Whitefieldism

the principles, teachings, practices, and techniques of George
Whitefield, English Methodist revivalist, who, after a request from
Wesley that he visit America, made seven visits after 1738 and gained a
reputation as an eloquent and fiery preacher, becoming a model for
future American revivalists.

Wyclifflsm

Lollardism.

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